Apparatus for cooling and/or gassifying a liquid

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an apparatus for cooling and/or gassifying a liquid 12 stored in a container 10 having an outlet 10b. The apparatus comprises an adsorbent 14 for receiving and adsorbing under pressure a quantity of gas and a three position cap 16. In a first position, said cap 16 simply acts to seal the contents within the container whilst in a second position it acts to cause release of adsorbed gas from adsorbent 14 which then passes through the beverage 12 thereby gassifying and/or cooling said beverage. A third position of the cap 16 allows for its removal from container 10 such that the beverage may be dispensed. The container may be provided with a thermochromatic coating to indicate when the liquid is at a predetermined temperature.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling and/orgassifying a liquid stored in a container and relates particularly, butnot exclusively, to such an arrangement suitable for treating a liquidbeverage prior to dispensing.

GB-A-2280886 discloses a carbonated beverage container including ahollow insert having a one way valve through which gas is jetted intothe beverage causing nucleation of fine bubbles which separate out toform a close-knit creamy head. The insert itself is designed to float ontop of the beverage and may be made of plastic or metal. Such a system,whilst being able to gassify the liquid, is unable to provide asignificant cooling effect. An alternative arrangement is shown inGB-A-2183592 in which a chamber is charged with a gas which isreleasable into the beverage upon opening the ring-pull of the can. Oncereleased, the gas acts to form a head of froth on the beverage beforeand during dispensing. Again, this arrangement is unable to provide asignificant degree of cooling.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capableof cooling as well as gassifying a liquid stored in a container.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus for coolingand/or gassifying a liquid stored in a container having an outlet, saidapparatus comprising an absorbent, for receiving and adsorbing underpressure a quantity of gas; sealing means, for sealing said adsorbed gasin said adsorbent; and releasing means, for releasing adsorbed gas fromsaid adsorbent in a controlled manner and directly into said liquid suchthat the released gas passes through the liquid thereby cooling and/orgassifying said liquid. It will be appreciated that the chilling effectis produced as a result of the desorption process.

The present invention will now be more particularly described by way ofexample only with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1-3 are cross-sectional views of the present invention andillustrate the operating sequence;

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of arrows A--A in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 5A, B and C are views taken in the direction of arrows B--B andillustrate the various steps involved in the operation of the cap.

Referring now to the drawings in general but particularly to FIGS. 1-3,the present invention comprises a container 10 for storing a quantity ofliquid 12 to be cooled and/or gassified before being dispensed, anadsorbent 14 for adsorbing gas such as, for example, carbon dioxide tobe used during said cooling and/or gassifying process and a re-sealablecap shown generally at 17. The Adsorbent 14 is encased in an outercasing 16 formed of, for example plastic material. The casing 16 isprovided with an outlet 18 and a releasing means in the form ofre-sealable valve 20 for allowing or inhibiting the flow of adsorbed gasfrom the adsorbent. Valve 20 is operably connected to cap 17 via linkingmember 22 which extends through the body of liquid 12 within thecontainer.

The cap itself comprises a first inner portion 24 releasably connectedto the container by, for example, screw thread 26 and a second outerportion 28 operably connected to the first portion 24 in a manner to bedescribed in detail later herein and moveable relative thereto betweenfirst, second and third positions illustrated by FIGS. 5A to 5Crespectively. In more detail, the inner portion 24 includes a pluralityof axially projecting and circumfrentially spaced detents 30 projectingfrom an outer surface 32 and a central aperture 34 the function of whichwill be described in detail later herein. The first detents 30 arespatially positioned for operable connection with corresponding seconddetents 36 projecting from an inner surface 38 of outer portion 28. Thesecond detents 36 are moveable with the second portion of the capbetween said first position (FIG. 5A) in which they lie between thefirst detents and are not engaged therewith, said second position (FIG.5B) in which they are axially displaced relative to the first detents 30and are engaged with and retained in said position by said first detents30, and said third position in which said second detents abut againstsaid first detents 30 and facilitate rotational movement thereof uponrotational movement of said second portion. This last position allowsfor removal of cap 17 from container 10. A seal shown in, for example,the form of an O ring 40 (best seen in FIGS. 1-3) is provided forsealing any gap between inner and outer portions 24,28 respectively. Asshown in FIGS. 1-3, the seal is preferably located within a regionhaving an axially extending groove 42 along which the seal may slide asouter portion 28 is moved between its axially displaced positions. Achamber 44 is formed between said first and said second cap portions 24,28 and is operably linked for the flow of gas from the interior 10A ofcontainer 10 via aperture 34 in inner portion 24. A spring 43 biases theouter portion 28 away from the inner portion. The outer portion 28 isfurther provided with a gas outlet and pressure release valve 48 forallowing the flow of gas to atmosphere from within chamber 44. Whilst itwill be appreciated that any one of a number of pressure release valvesmay be employed, applicants have found that a sprung loaded arrangementas illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 can be employed to give a visual indicationof when the valve is open and, hence, gas is being vented to atmosphere.This arrangement includes a projection 50 which, in operation standsproud of an upper surface 28A of the cap whenever the valve is open. Inthis particular arrangement, the valve includes a valve seat 52 and issprung loaded by spring 54 to bias the valve such that seat 52 obturatesoutlet 46 as shown in FIG. 1. In operation, gas pressure within chamber44 acts to open valve 48 and allow excess gas to escape to atmospherevia chamber 56 and outlet 58. Outer portion 28 further includes anactuation means in the form of plunger 60 depending from bottom surface28b. Plunger 60 extends through chamber 44 and opening 34 beforeterminating at a point adjacent an upper end 22a of link member 22.Aperture 34 is suitably sized so as to allow for the escape of gasbetween plunger 60 and inner portion 24. If necessary, a plurality ofcut-outs 62 may be provided around aperture 34 so as to enlarge the gasescape path. Distal end of plunger 60 defines an abutment surface 60afor abutment against end 22a of link member 22.

In operation, a pellet of adsorbent 14 is deposited within the container10 and link member 22 positioned for engagement with valve 20 andplunger 60. The link member 22 may be engaged with valve 20 via a screwthread (not shown) or might simply rest on an upper surface thereof andbe supported by frictional engagement therewith. The upper end 22a oflink member 22 extends into the outlet 10b of container 10 and iseffectively located therein by inner walls 10c of the outlet. Ifnecessary, upper end 22a may be further located within opening 10b bymeans of one or more location arms 62 shown in FIG. 1. Gas pressure fromwithin casing 16 acts against surface 64 of valve 20 to maintain thevalve in a closed position.

Alternatively, a spring 66 may be incorporated to maintain the valve inits closed position. In a first position of cap 17 (FIG. 1, FIG. 5a)detents 30 and 36 lie in substantially the same plane and a small gap Gexists between plunger 60 and link member 22. Consequently, the valve 20is maintained in its closed position by the pressure within casing 16and/or spring 66. With the cap 17 in this position the container 10 andits contents 12 may be stored and/or transported without disturbing thecontents thereof. A second position of cap 17 is shown in FIG. 2 andFIG. 5b from which it will be appreciated that outer portion 28 isdepressed downwardly in the direction of arrow D such that detents 30pass between detents 36 and are then turned radially and the detents lieone on top of one another before the outer portion 28 is released andspring 43 biases the outer portion 28 upwardly such that the detentsengage each other and the plunger 60 is maintained in a depressedposition. In this position, valve 20 is caused to open and gas isallowed to escape from container 16 and into the main body of liquid 12contained within container 10. Initially, the gas will act to gassifythe liquid as it rises to the surface thereof before passing intochamber 44 via aperture 34. Pressure build up within chamber 44 willcause valve 48 to operate upon build up of a predetermined pressure.This pressure is matched to that associated with sufficientgassification of the liquid for the purpose which it is intended. Forexample, a carbonated beverage would employ carbon dioxide gas releasedas bubbles into the liquid 12 such that a fizzy carbonated beverage isproduced prior to dispensing. The pressure associated with sufficientcarbonation is therefore important to the consumer's enjoyment of thebeverage and should therefore be accurately determined for each andevery beverage. Once valve 48 is opened, excess gas will escape toatmosphere via outlet 58 and upper portion 50 will indicate that thecarbonation process is completed. Consequently, if the consumer merelydesires a carbonated beverage he would then remove cap 17 by rotatingouter portion 28 in the direction of arrow O in FIG. 5c such that thedetents 30, 36 disengage one another and return to the same plane beforeengaging one another once again such that rotation of outer portion 28causes rotation of inner portion 24 and disengagement of screw thread26. The cap 17 may then be removed and the beverage 12 dispensed.

Alternatively, should the consumer require a pre-chilled beverage, heneed merely retain the cap in its depressed position and allowadditional gas to pass through the liquid thereby chilling it beforepassing to atmosphere via outlet 58. As the gas desorbes from theadsorbent, its temperature is considerably colder than the beverage and,hence, the chilling effect can be created. Clearly, such pre-chillingwould only be necessary if it is impossible to refrigerate the beveragein a more conventional manner.

As the gas desorbs from the adsorbent, the temperature of the adsorbentfalls, and this effect can also be used for chilling the beverage. Inorder to improve the chilling effect of the fall in the adsorbenttemperature, the outer casing 16 could be made of a thin sheet of athermally-conductive material, such as aluminium or aluminium alloy, andthe outer casing could be contoured and/or provided with fins (notshown) or the like, as is known in the art, in order to assist heattransfer and thus the chilling effect.

Advantageously, the outer casing 16 is shaped and configured so as tominimise the volume therein (so far as is consistent with therequirements to contain a predetermined amount of adsorbent and topermit gas to be adsorbed and desorbed thereby) whilst maximising itssurface area. This not only optimises the chilling effect resulting fromthe adsorbent temperature drop, but also ensures that the outer casing16 containing the adsorbent 14 does not displace any greater volume ofbeverage than is strictly necessary to achieve the desired gassifyingand/or chilling effect.

The outer casing 16 may be resiliently deformable, in order to alloweasy insertion thereof into the container 10. This resilience ispreferably sufficient to allow the inserted outer casing to expandwithin the container 10 so as to retain the outer casing 16 in positiontherein.

One of the advantages of the present invention resides in itsflexibility in respect of beverage gassification and/or chilling. Forexample, as described above, the consumer can choose betweengassification and gassification with cooling. Additionally, he canterminate one or other or both of said phases by early release of thecap. Further to this, it will be appreciated that, for containerscapable of storing large quantities of beverage, the carbonating stepmay be initiated any one of a number of times and any remaining adsorbedgas is maintained under pressure in casing 16 by re-sealable valve 20.Indeed, the consumer need not carbonate the beverage at all and mightsimply choose to dispense the beverage in its stored state. Such achoice would be exercised by simply turning outer portion 28 in thedirection of arrow O rather than depressing it and opening valve 20.

In some cases effective chilling of a fluid may take some time; where acanned beverage is to be chilled, for example, complete chilling thereofmight take 30 seconds or more, which time is appreciable to a thirstyperson. Such an individual would be grateful to know when the beverageis chilled to its optimum extent for consuming.

Accordingly, a container as described above (such as a beveragecontainer) may also be provided with temperature reactive means adaptedto give a visual indication of the temperature of the beverage.

Advantageously the temperature reactive means comprises athermochromatic substance, such as a thermochromatic paint, or pigment,or thermochromatic liquid crystals, substances which would change colouraccording to their temperature and which, per se, are known in the art.Preferably, the thermochromatic substance would be in direct thermalcontact with the beverage container, such that as the temperature of thebeverage fell due to the operation of the chiller so would thetemperature of the container and the thermochromatic substance, whichsubstance would then change colour thus giving the consumer a visualindication that the beverage had been chilled and was ready to drink.

The thermochromatic substance is preferably applied directly to theouter surface of the beverage container, as indicated at 70 in FIG. 1,not only so as more quickly and accurately to indicate any temperaturechange of the beverage therein but also so as to be more easilyincorporated during the container manufacturing process. Drink cans, forexample, are ordinarily painted, and the addition of a further stationon the can manufacturing line to apply thermochromatic paint or the likewould be neither difficult nor expensive.

Although shown in FIG. 1 as a simple band applied to the outside of acan, the thermochromatic substances could equally be applied in patternsand colours to provide a significant aesthetic appeal to a consumer; soas to produce an eye-catching design or slogan, for example, when thebeverage or other fluid is sufficiently chilled.

For the avoidance of doubt, the present invention encompasses not onlyan apparatus for cooling and/or gassifying a liquid stored in acontainer, but also a container comprising such an apparatus. Moreover,the principles of this invention could be employed with substances otherthan liquids-solid and semi-solid foodstuffs, for example, orpharmaceuticals, chemicals or the like. Similar principles could also beapplicable where it is desired to gassify and heat a liquid.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for cooling and/or gassifying aliquid stored in a container having an outlet, said apparatuscomprising: an adsorbent, for receiving and adsorbing under pressure aquantity of gas; sealing means, for sealing said adsorbed gas in saidadsorbent; and releasing means, for releasing adsorbed gas from saidadsorbent in a controlled manner and directly into said liquid such thatthe released gas passes through the liquid thereby cooling and/orgassifying said liquid.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in whichsaid adsorbent is positioned within the body of liquid to be cooledand/or gassified and in which the releasing means comprises are-sealable valve for allowing or inhibiting the flow of adsorbed gasfrom the adsorbent.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 includingactuation means for actuating said valve.
 4. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 3 in which the actuation means is external of the container butoperably linked to the valve which is within the container.
 5. Anapparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the actuation means comprises aremovable cap which also acts to seal the liquid within the container.6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the cap comprises a threeposition cap which: in its first position acts to seal the container andprevent adsorbed gas from escaping therefrom; in its second positionallows gas to escape from the adsorbent and pass through any liquidwithin the container thereby to cool and/or gassify the liquid; and inits third position facilitates removal of the cap and hence dispensingof the liquid from the container.
 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5in which the cap comprises a first inner portion releasably connected tothe container and a second outer portion operably connected to the firstportion and movable relative thereto between said first, second andthird positions.
 8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which theactuation means comprises a portion of the cap itself and said portionis axially displaceable between a first position in which it acts tohold the valve in a closed position and a second position in which itacts to hold the valve in an open position.
 9. An apparatus as claimedin claim 8 in which the actuation means further includes a linkingmember which, in operation, extends between the actuator and the valve.10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which the second outer portionof the cap includes an abutment surface against which said linkingmember abuts for axial displacement therewith and hence operation of thevalve.
 11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which said second outerportion is axially displaceable relative to the inner portion betweenits first, second and third positions and further includes retainingmeans for retaining said second outer portion in its second positionuntil released therefrom by an operator.
 12. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 11 in which said retaining means comprises a plurality of firstdetents projecting from an outer surface of the first portion and aplurality of second detents projecting from an inner surface of thesecond portion, said second detents being movable with the secondportion of the cap between said first position in which they lie betweenthe first detents and are not engaged therewith, said second position inwhich the second detents are axially displaced relative to the firstdetents and are engaged with and retained in said position by said firstdetents, and said third position in which said second detents abutagainst said first detents and facilitate rotational movement thereofupon rotational movement of said second portion, thereby to facilitateremoval of the cap from the container.
 13. An apparatus as claimed claim7 including a chamber formed between said first inner and said secondouter portions of the cap and a passage between the interior of thevessel and the chamber for allowing the flow of released gas thereinto,said chamber being sealed from the atmosphere by a seal between saidfirst inner and said second outer portions of the cap.
 14. An apparatusas claimed in claim 13 including a pressure relief valve for allowingfor the release of gas to atmosphere upon the pressure within thechamber exceeding a pre-determined value.
 15. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 14 in which said valve includes a visual indicator that the valveis open and that gas is being vented to atmosphere.
 16. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 15 in which said visual indicator comprises aprotrusion which, upon opening of the valve, protrudes beyond the outersurface of the second portion of the cap.
 17. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 1 in which said adsorbed gas comprises carbon dioxide.
 18. Anapparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adsorbent is containedwithin a casing for placement in direct thermal contact with the liquid.19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein the casing isresiliently deformable.
 20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 whereinthe casing is formed of aluminum or an alloy thereof.
 21. A liquidstorage container comprising an adsorbent for receiving and adsorbingunder pressure a quantity of gas; sealing means for releasing saidadsorbed gas in said adsorbent; and releasing means for releasingadsorbed gas from said adsorbent in a controlled manner and directlyinto said liquid such that the released gas passes through the liquidthereby cooling and/or gassifying said liquid.
 22. A liquid storagecontainer as claimed in claim 21 comprising temperature reactive meansadapted to give a visual indication of the temperature of the liquid.23. A liquid storage container as claimed in claim 22 wherein thereactive means comprises thermochromatic paint or pigment.
 24. A liquidstorage container as claimed in claim 22 wherein the reactive meanscomprises a thermochromatic liquid crystal device or layer.
 25. A liquidstorage container as claimed in claim 22 wherein the reactive means isapplied to the outer surface of the container.